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| Criterion | ![]() Operations A3 Problem Solving | ![]() DevOps Blameless Postmortem | ![]() Operations Root Cause Analysis | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | After an incident with damage or a near miss, the method creates a sober field for learning without assigning blame. It directs attention to the course of events, conditions, and effective countermeasures. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-90 min | 1-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 3-12 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Postmortem Doc, Action Items, Timeline | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Site Reliability EngineeringIncidentLearningReliability | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeQualityOperations |



